Day 1 - IFA International

The Conference With So

The Conference With So Much More IFA+Summit goes from strength to strength This is the third year the IFA+ Summit is being held. We asked IFA Director Jens Heithecker what lessons were taken from the first two editions and what will be different this time? This year’s topics have been adjusted according to current trends: Themed “Exploring the Digital Society”, talks given by top expert on September 5, will discuss developments in the areas of “Robots, Life & Realities”. IHS panels staffed with pioneering industry representatives will be part of the day's agenda. Events on September 5, the first session day, focus on Exponential Technologies, while Day Two´s topic is “Data, Health & Design”. What will be some of the highlights this year? Indeed a tough question since every single speaker is a highlight him or herself: from Axelle Lemaire, French Minister of State for Digital Affairs - Prof. Dr. Manfred Hild, Professor for Neurorobotics, Beuth University of Applied Sciences - Lukas Wrede, Founder & CEO, Skycart and Prof. Dr. Frank Kirchner, Computer Scientist at University of Bremen and CEO Robotics Innovation Center. Imagine, this exciting speaker-line-up is only the programme of our very first session Exponential Technologies on Day One, September 5. You might get an idea on how extensive, creative and productive this year’s IFA+Summit will be! IHS is integrating its conference into the summit this year. Why so? It is the ideal complement to the existing portfolio. IHS Technology is a global information company with world-class experts in the pivotal areas shaping today's business landscapes offering some of the most comprehensive insight and analysis on technology - from raw materials, equipment and devices to media, communication networks and consumer trends. For Day One IHS will include a panel of experts from automobile manufacturers as well as automobile electronics and technology companies. Topics discussed will include the impact of autonomous vehicles, what needs to happen to bring them to market, and what non-automotive companies are doing in this field 38

MIXED REALITY CityCube Berlin 5 Sept. 2016 4:50 - 5;30 pm George Bloom Executive Producer, CBS Digital Mixed Reality: Dispelling Illusions IFA+ Summit topic sets stage for future of VR Session 3 of the IFA+ Summit in the Citycube looks at “Mixed Reality: the next level of experience and entertainment”. The questions are asked, “What does the linking of real and virtual worlds mean for our perception of reality? What technological means will the entertainment industry use to reach its audience? What copyright strategies will be pursued? The session looks at what will be changed by the new ways of experiencing reality. We asked one of the key speakers on the topic, George Bloom, executive producer at CBS Digital, how he sees virtual reality evolving… The value of Virtual Reality continues to evolve with new developments. I plan to delineate a few areas of importance. The new VR hardware entering the marketplace is best optimised if creators look beyond spherical imaging and explore creating content in 3D space. We also need to re-imagine how we tell stories. A whole new language needs to evolve before we are able to step into the next dimension of the story world. We need to challenge our current mental models. I will highlight examples and present new formulas to think different with our approach to story. What do you see as being the biggest groundswell changes in your sector, and how should we be addressing them? I work in visual effects and our team creates environments in 3D space for movies and television series. What is relevant for our core business with our clients like: Netflix, Amazon, Marvel, ABC and FOX, is the value of VR as a tool in marketing and publicity stunts. This allows the audience to experience what it’s like to be inside the world of these brands. However, I see bigger opportunities outside of entertainment and a whole new emerging economy. I don’t want to forget to mention it’s not only VR it’s our close companion AR will have a good lifespan too. There will be demand for many applications outside of entertainment like education, healthcare and industrial. What will people coming to your presentation walk away with? My mission is simple. I work in this space everyday and paid A WHOLE NEW LANGUAGE NEEDS TO EVOLVE BEFORE WE ARE ABLE TO STEP INTO THE NEXT DIMENSION OF THE STORY WORLD to think different on how we innovate. Our team builds new software tools and with push the boundaries on our creation of content. Virtual Reality will soon be ubiquitous and the strength and success will be the diversity of everyone building it together. This is the third year of the IFA + Summit. What are your thoughts about this initiative by Messe Berlin? Messe Berlin’s leadership was a key driver to seeding innovation into one global forum. They deserve tremendous credit for helping accelerate the exponential growth of imagination and the convergence of tech for our industry. I am most thankful to be a part of it George Bloom Expanding International Competency While George Bloom happily continues to work at CBS Digital, he is also the recent founder of VR start-up. It was announced in China that he was one of 23 companies out of 1,200 applicants to be chosen for funding by the HTC VIVE X accelerator programme. Oculus and HTC are the two largest producers of VR hardware. His project, the Metaverse Channel, is a collective of virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the internet. The Metaverse Channel’s mission is to inspire and educate the minds of today by resurrecting the greatest minds from the past. By transforming their timeless lessons with the power of immersive virtual reality, this interactive education platform develops new mental models only achievable via VR technology www.ifa-international.org IFAInternational • Friday 2 nd September 2016 39